COLUMBIA, SC — A Columbia man who prepared taxes on behalf of the Bloods street gang and received $1.2 million in fraudulent returns was sentenced Tuesday to more than five years in prison.

Daion Ali Bowers, 27, also must repay the government $1.2 million in restitution for refunds paid out as part of the fraud scheme. He earlier pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, said Assistant U.S. Attorney JD Rowell.

Bowers was not an accountant, Rowell said.

Bowers, along with Tashanda “Big Momma Blood” Parker, recruited people to give Bowers their personal information so he could file returns. Members of the Gangsta Killer Blood gang were among those who offered their information, Rowell said.

Bowers was not a member of the gang. Parker was a member of the Bloodettes, a female affiliate gang, and helped recruit people for the scheme, Rowell said.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/04/16/2727326/columbia-man-headed-to-prison.html#storylink=cpy

Just because it's a little racy doesn't mean it can't be considered a valid deduction.

Vincent Porter, a CPA from Arlington, Texas, found that out this year when a client wanted to write off $200 worth of sex toys.

The client, an exotic dancer, was able to deduct the cost of a few vibrators, lubricant and lingerie as business expenses because she used them for her webcam work.

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/taxes/2013/04/03/crazy-tax-deductions/4.html

A retiree suing over his arrest in a supermarket had been warned before by store managers that he was helping himself to too many free samples, a defendant in the suit says.

Among the things a store manager had scolded Erwin Lingitz about: He had filled produce bags with up to 20 cookies from the "kids' cookie club tray," defendant Supervalu Inc. claims in its answer to the Gem Lake man's federal lawsuit.

Lingitz is suing Supervalu, Ramsey County, its sheriff's office, three deputies and a private security company over an April 2010 incident at a Cub Foods in White Bear Township.

The 68-year-old former laboratory machinist claims he was roughed up and his civil rights were violated by a security guard and then sheriff's deputies after he was confronted and accused of helping himself to too many free samples of lunch meat.

http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_23030169/cub-owner-says-man-who-took-samples-was

However, Stan Worby has now found himself on the other side of the law after being arrested and charged with burgling a garage.

In a further twist, he is accused of carrying out the crime with the very suspect he took to the police in his caped crusader costume.

Mr Worby, 39, a Chinese takeaway delivery driver, made headlines around the world after he was unmasked as the slightly paunchy Bradford Batman.

He revealed that he had driven Daniel Frayne, 27, a friend who was wanted on warrant, to the police station in February after returning from a football game which he had attended in superhero fancy dress.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9998022/Bradford-Batman-charged-with-burgling-garage.html

GIRARD, Pa. (AP) -- Police have cited a 42-year-old Pennsylvania woman for disorderly conduct after she called 911 requesting a divorce and police assistance to make her husband leave.

Troopers say the woman called just after 1 a.m. Saturday asking that officers be sent to her home in Girard Township in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Police say they explained to the woman, whom they are not identifying, that a divorce is a civil matter and that they could not make her husband leave the residence because no crime had been committed.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_EMERGENCY_DIVORCE_REQUEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-04-15-09-42-53

The steamy trilogy joins the list of books most-often challenged at libraries, joining the ranks of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Beloved" and Dav Pilkey's popular "Captain Underpants" books.



NEW YORK — Here's a list "Fifty Shades of Grey" was destined to make: The books most likely to be removed from school and library shelves in the U.S.

On Monday, E L James' multimillion selling erotic trilogy placed No. 4 on the American Library Association's annual study of "challenged books," works subject to complaints from parents, educators and other members of the public. The objections: Offensive language, and, of course, graphic sexual content.

No. 1 was a not a story of the bedroom, but the bathroom, Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" books (Offensive language, unsuited for age group), followed by Sherman Alexie's prize-winning "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" (Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit), and Jay Asher's "Thirteen Reasons Why" (Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide). Also on the list, at No. 10, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison's "Beloved" (Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence).

"It's pretty exciting to be on a list that frequently features Mark Twain, Harper Lee, and Maya Angelou," Pilkey said in a statement. "But I worry that some parents might see this list and discourage their kids from reading 'Captain Underpants,' even though they have not had a chance to read the books themselves."

http://news.msn.com/pop-culture/fifty-shades-makes-list-of-books-people-want-banned-from-libraries

A patient has complained that a Midland GP told her to stop taking her medication – and took her to a pentecostal church he was running where she underwent an
EXORCISM instead.

Dr Thomas Gerard O’Brien was working as a locum GP in Staffordshire when he treated the woman, who had been prescribed anti depressant, anti hypertensive and analgesic medication.

The patient, who has not been named, claimed that she stopped taking the medication after Dr O’Brien advised her that “there is another way” and gave her lifts to meetings at a pentecostal church in Stoke on Trent over several weeks.

She claimed that she was advised that “God is her surgeon and God will heal her”.

She said that Dr O’Brien sent her texts and books and pamphlets about the church, which he ran with another person. These included An Occult Checklist – a guide to activities considered to be within the Occult – which had the words ‘Compiled and Written by Tom XXX O’Brien’ inside and a ‘Prayer of Repentance’.

The woman said she was subjected to a four-hour ‘testimony’ where an exorcism was performed on January 19.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/patient-doctor-told-stop-taking-2593218

Someone doesn't need a marketing department. Posted on Reddit, the icing of this cake handily doubles as the resignation letter of Chris Holmes (aka Mr Cake). Explaining that it's his 31st birthday and "having recently become a father I now realize how precious life is," Holmes gives notice so that he can devote more time and energy to his family and, yes, his cake business. After politely wishing his former organization and colleagues the best for the future, Holmes fits in a plug for his business's website — "if you enjoy this cake, you can order more at..." — before sincerely signing off. It's always good to give your former bosses something to chew on when you make an exit. [Source]

http://now.msn.com/chris-holmes-mr-cake-makes-resignation-letter-cake

This beautiful handset took 9 weeks of detailed intricate work to re-create the original chasis of the iphone 5 in solid gold all of which was started and finished by hand, including a flawless black single deep cut diamond weighing in at 26 cts, most unique to replace the home button also the chasis was inlaid with a circa of 600 white flawless diamonds with full gold dressing for the rear section with the logo in solid gold with 53 flawless diamonds. This masterpiece boasts a massive circa of 135 grams of 24ct gold and of course sapphire glass set in the screen. The result was outstanding even down to the precise polishing to reveal its most beautiful harmonious appearance. The handset was commissioned for Stuart by a Chinese business man who has had the black diamond for a while , this handset total cost is £10 million More options in gold for the iphone 5 can be seen on our other site www.goldstriker.co.uk

http://stuarthughes.com/newdawn/product_info.php?products_id=116

A 1952 early draft of Ian Fleming's first Bond book, Casino Royale, reveals the author had originally intended his hero to call himself James Secretan when undercover.

"Ian’s first idea was to give James Bond an assumed name as his cover," revealed his niece Kate Grimond, whose family owns the draft. "Ian typed it up that way when he [Bond] first met Felix Leiter, the CIA agent, in the casino at the Hotel Splendide."

In the typed manuscript the CIA operative introduces himself to 007 with the words: "My name's Felix Leiter. Glad to meet you."

He replies with the disappointingly long-winded: "Mine's Secretan. James Secretan."

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/secrets-behind-james-bond-revealed-on-60th-anniversary-of-first-book-being-published/story-e6frfmvr-1226620810935